Orlando, FL - Sports fans across the globe are very familiar with the term “tanking”. More specifically, fans of the Orlando Magic have become “Tank’s” best friend over this last year during the post-Vucevic era. With Markelle Fultz’ heartbreaking ACL injury just over a year ago, our front office was forced to make a decision: pursue a playoff push with Isaac and Fultz sidelined or rebuild from the ground up. Luckily for the fans, the front office decided to hit the reset button, allowing for a new opportunity to build a winning culture in Orlando. Once the injured players healed up, the plan was to accelerate the rebuild and hopefully be in contention sooner rather than later.

The offseason was looking better than ever for Magic fans.  Orlando drafted two young studs, signs a few valuable veterans and the timeline is looking to align well for our injured players. General Manager John Hammond had even stated the possibility of Isaac returning by opening night. With Fultz’ injury occurring months after Isaac’s, the idea was to see Fultz around December or early January at the latest. 

Fast forward to January 1, 2022. The Orlando Magic have yet to release any official updates or return dates on either Fultz or Isaac, apart from vague responses such as “they're going through rehab and their return will depend on how they respond to rehab and treatment” responses every once in a while. Fans are getting frustrated and rightfully so, as it is becoming a more confusing situation as the days pass.

Here’s the tricky part: the Magic are nearly halfway through the season with the worst record in the NBA, yet some fans still expect our team to be able to turn it around once (or should I say, if) Isaac and Fultz return. Now, why is this expectation such a crude and undermining one? Let’s take a look at the facts that brought us to this position in the first place.

The main objective of the Orlando Magic President of Basketball Operations, Jeff Weltman, and General Manager, John Hammond, executive decision to blow up the Vucevic, Gordon and Fournier team was to directly build off of draft capital, create a new culture for the team and focus heavily on the development of young players. The key word there is “development” – not one team in this league focused on development has seen success automatically, it’s a lengthy process with lots of growing pains. So taking a look at our team’s current record, the organization’s path is in no way aligned with some fans’ beliefs that a play-in push is on the table. In the absolute best case scenario, assuming Markelle Fultz, Jalen Suggs, and Jonathan Isaac are all back and 100% healthy by February 1st vs. Chicago, this team would not even achieve the 12th seed assuming all teams in the East maintain their current winning trajectory. Thus, putting us in a worse position in the postseason to secure superstar talent through the draft.

Make no mistake, this Orlando Magic team is on their planned path. The bumps on the road of said path is what is causing discord between the fanbase and the organization. The lack of communication by the front office and the Orlando Magic PR team has left fans in disarray. Why was there a random point in time where the social media team heavily advertised Fultz’ recovery, only for his return date to continuously be pushed back? Why has there been no official update on Jonathan Isaac, who’s injury took place 518 days ago? Some believe it’s just another additional way our front office is embracing the tank. Others chalk it up to poor medical staff and/or over-caution. Either way, something injury-related is not being done under its proper timeline. Something needs to be said about it.

As each day passes, the possibilities of the recovering Isaac and Fultz’ long term outcomes seem to change. Two key components in these constant reconsiderations are none other than Orlando’s own Cole Anthony and Franz Wagner. Some may ask what these two have to do with the injuries of Fultz and Isaac? The answer is a simple one… everything. Avid Orlando Magic fans are aware of the star prowess both of these young players have. Many believe Wagner to be the best rookie in the 2021 draft class and Cole Anthony is putting up unbelievable numbers in just his second year. What separates them from the rest is that they make Isaac and Fultz somewhat expendable. Too often, Magic fans hold onto those two as a crutch and believe our team is hopeless without them. While they certainly can be extremely valuable to our future as a team, they are most certainly not this team’s most valuable assets any longer… not by a long shot. Paired with the likelihood of Orlando landing a top PF/C in this years draft, (Holmgren, Smith Jr., Banchero) the team’s fully healthy lineup, apart from Fultz and Isaac, may look like this by opening night of 2022-2023:

PG: Cole Anthony

SG: Jalen Suggs

SF: Franz Wagner

PF: Jabari Smith Jr./Paolo Banchero/Wendell Carter Jr.

C: Wendell Carter Jr./Chet Holmgren

Bench: RJ Hampton, Chuma Okeke, Mo Bamba, E’Twaun Moore, Michael Carter-Williams, etc.

The Magic, without the two sidelined stars and assuming trades will be made for Harris and Ross, still hold a pretty solid 10-man rotation with excellent potential. So this begs the question: what can we actually make of Fultz and Isaac’s future with the team? 

Assuming things go according to plan by the offseason and Orlando lands a top-3 pick (unlike last year’s lottery woes), we would be inclined to select one of the 3 forwards/centers previously mentioned. At that high of a pick, there’s really no case to bring said draft pick off the bench – he should be starting on day one. With that said, Franz Wagner is no bench man, as he’s proved night in and night out by being either our best or second best player on the floor every single game this season. When fully healthy, does this imply we send Carter Jr. to the bench and rely on a small-ball center in Jonathan Isaac? One of Anthony, Wagner, Fultz, Isaac, (2022 draft pick), and Carter Jr. will have to take a bench role barring no trades. How does Orlando work around this?

I have been very adamant about having faith in our front office, seeing as they drafted Cole Anthony and Franz Wagner in back-to-back drafts with the 8th and 15th pick. It’s very clear they are a group of talented individuals that know how to draft, how to trade, and how to pursue talent. What’s very intriguing about this current Magic roster is the unique position it’s in regarding young talented players. The team is in two very different territories at the same time: desperately needing superstar talent and having too much talent to give all of the young players a substantial opportunity to thrive. 

What some fans might have to accept is that one or more of these young, star-caliber players will likely be put on the trade block. The makes of a successful team do not come from trying to manage loads of young talent at once; they come from zeroing in on one or two star players, building the proper team around them and utilizing the assets gained from multiple losing seasons to pursue a superstar via trade. (i.e. Phoenix Suns drafting Booker/Ayton and then trading for Paul or the Bucks drafting Giannis, trading for Middleton/Holiday). While the team isn’t likely to make any blockbuster moves at the trade deadline compared to last year, there’s likely to be much more activity regarding roster changes during the offseason compared to the last few seasons combined.

While we have yet to see this team at full strength, it may be a long wait until we get to see even a preview of a healthy Orlando Magic team. The front office plans for the season seem to be set in full motion and the tank does not seem to be stopping anytime soon! 

Buckle up Magic fans, it will be a long yet rewarding ride!